The conclusion of Operation Thresher in Alice Springs has highlighted the important positive relationship between Police and the community.
From the 1st of December until yesterday – the 31st of January – Operation Thresher focussed on building community and business based relationships to aid Police in reducing anti-social behaviour and crime.
“While there has been some opportunistic crime and mindless vandalism committed, Police regard the Operation as a success.” Said Commander Michael Murphy.
“Almost 130 people were arrested during Operation Thresher, more than one-thousand people were taken into Protective Custody and 29 Banning Notices were issued.”
“1559 litres of alcohol was tipped out. This is an important statistic given the violence, injuries and unlawful behaviour that all too often occurs due to alcohol abuse.” Said Cmdr Murphy.
“The aim of the Operation was to identify the problem and put an end to it before crimes were committed; unfortunately alcohol abuse plays a large part in that.”
“So too does people re-offending while on bail. To negate this, Officers conducted more that 260 bailee checks to ensure people were abiding by their bail conditions and placing back before the courts those who weren’t.”
“This Operation would not have been successful if it wasn’t for the community being our ‘eyes and ears’. The community did a fantastic job reporting incidents while Police targeted known hotspots and offenders in an effort to keep the community safe.”
“The reduction in crime compared to the previous year has been positive. This couldn’t have been achieved without an important partnership between government, community based organisations and of course the members of this community. It just proves what can be done by building strong relationships.” Said Cmdr Murphy.
“Operation Thresher was conducted by permanent Alice Springs Police Officers. I have thanked all my officers involved for the task they committed to and their efforts over the festive season and holiday period. Just because the Operation is over doesn’t mean Police will relax. The partnerships and objectives of Operation Thresher will continue; our priority is ‘operational excellence’ focussing of crime reduction, professionalism and excellence in service delivery through bail and target management and attention to social order to ensure the community remains safe.”
Operation Thresher Statistics:
129 Arrests
97 Summary Infringement Notices
37 Traffic Infringements
2 Drug Infringements
1012 Protective Custody
1559 Litres of Alcohol Tipped Out
29 Banning Notices Issued
36 Information Reports
233 Field Information Reports
481 Grams of Cannabis Seized
7 Weapons Seized
5 Vehicle Defect Notices Issued
264 Bailee Checks Conducted
101 Youth Conveyances
19 Dept of Children and Families Notifications
4 Search Warrants Conducted
